Accuracy - Your Hands, Elbows, and Feet

You goal is to duplicate your grip and stance for every shot. This will really tighten groups and keep you on target. When I go to the range, I see 90% of the shooters doing it all wrong. Practice using the three below tips and you will see your accuracy get so much better. After a few trips to the range, you may be looking for competitive shooting events to enter!
1. Two hand grip. Your leff hand should be high on the pistol with both of your thumbs almost touching the slide. Place your left thumb forward so it is in front of your right thumb (see above pic). Both thumbs should be pointing at the target. As for grip pressure; about 40% with your right hand and 60% with your left. Your left hand is your steering hand; same as if you were pointing a rifle.
2. Elbows. Both elbows should be almost locked so your arms are pointing straight out. Muscles in your arms have poor memory, but locked elbows are always the same.
3. Feet. Both feet should be shoulder width apart and square with your hips. A majority of your weight should be on the balls of your feet, just like for wrestling, boxing, or karate.

This is more easy than trying to figure out how swing a dang golf club!

Shooting Low and Left?

Have you just purchased a brand new pistol and you are hitting low and left of the bullseye? You are not alone, as this is the most common problem for new shooters. Don't mess with the sights! The factory sights are right-on 99% of the time! The problem is not the pistol. The problem is you. Accurate shooting is most likely fine with one hand. When you point your pistol using a normal two hand hold, your natural muscle reflexes try to compensate, thus you will be hitting low and left. The fix: If you are right handed, rotate your right hand on the grip slightly to the left (clockwise). Now point using a two hand hold. It will feel strange at first, but it will be natural after a few shooting sessions. You will be surprised that you are hitting the bullseye. See Pistol Correction Target.Another cause for low and left shooting is your gun grip could be too big for your hand.The Fix #2: The solution is to modify the grips or get another gun that grips smaller. One of the new polymer framed pistols with options for different sizes of backstraps may be the ticket.

Shooting a Pocket Pistol

When you are at the range, don't try looking down the sights to make an accurate shot. Looking down the sights takes too much time and accuracy won't be that good anyway. The distance between the front and rear sight is too short for accuracy unless you are shooting from a bench rest. Some pocket pistols don't have any sights at all. Cowboy style point shooting works with sub-compact pistols; except don't point with your trigger finger. Just grip the pistol like you normally would. Like a GPS system, you need 3 points.
#1 is your eye. #2 is the gun in your hand. #3 is the target.
Range drills: Line all 3 points up real fast, then shoot. Do it over and over again until you are on target. Train using one hand only, and then two hand grip. This is easy! Don't expect marksman accuracy; just accurate enough to hit a basketball from 7 yards away is good. Make sure no one is holding the basketball! Personal defense Pocket pistols would be used in panic situations, and this style of shooting works the best.
Defense Training Tip: If you are shooting a weak caliber pistol like 22LR, or 32 ACP; practice shooting quad taps. It could take you 4 shots to take down a bad guy. It is natural for your 3rd and 4th shots to be higher on target, so it takes practice to group them all together.

"One Two" Shooting Method

This is a little trick I picked up in the Navy. It has worked great for me later in life for combat competition. It gave me a real edge and I dominated the production class. A few friends I taught my method too started winning their classes. The One Two method is simple and it works.

Just going to the range and shooting thousands of rounds does not make you a good shooter. I have been shooting with state police guys, deputies, and FBI dudes that can't shoot as good as a rookie using the ONE TWO method.

You know how sometimes it is difficult to hold the pistol on target, or the shakes start kicking in before you pull the trigger? You want a cure for the flinch? My method works much better than Prozac or moonshine.

Here it is folks. I am getting old and grey and this is my top secret gift to the world. It may sound cornball, but it works like magic.

Count out loud: ONE TWO.

Now do it again faster: ONE TWO.

And again real fast: ONE TWO.

Now point with your pistol using a normal 2 hand hold with both of your thumbs pointing in the same direction as the barrel.

With your pistol pointed below the target, bring it up slowly to the target. As soon as you are on target say "ONE". Now say "TWO" and pull the trigger at the same time. ONE = found target TWO = bang.

When you are bringing your pistol onto the target, this is hunt mode. Hunt mode can be from side to side or bottom to top. Start traning with bottom to top as explained above. When you find your target say "ONE". When you say "TWO" pull the trigger.

One Two = Target Bang

Range Drills

Now shoot 10 rounds using the ONE TWO method nice and slow. Make sure to say out loud ONE TWO.

Now shoot 10 rounds using the ONE TWO method twice as fast. Make sure to say out loud ONE TWO.

Now shoot 10 rounds using the ONE TWO method as fast as you can say ONE TWO in your head.

Now shoot 2 more sets of 10 rounds using the ONE TWO method as fast as you can say ONE TWO in your head.

Next time you go to the range repeat these drills starting nice and slow.

In your mind you can say "one two" 10 times faster than out loud. With practice you can really speed this up to the point it is natural and you don't have to think about it much.

You can practice this drill indoors just pointing with your finger. An airsoft gun works awesome for indoor training. They make airsoft guns in full weight replicas for about every pistol pattern.

For double taps go ONE TWO TWO

After a few hours on the range using the Pappa Goose top secret "one two" method, you will be shooting like a combat pro. You will be on target more often. Hitting cola cans at 50 feet is now easy. No more staggers, shakes or flinches. The "one two" method works good on moving targets also. Your buddies will be amazed when you can shoot flying clays with your pistol.

Why does the ONE TWO method work? It keeps you from thinking too much and removes indecision. Thinking too much and holding your aim on target too long causes the wiggles. Anticipating the recoil and bang causes fliches. Counting out loud ONE TWO gets your mind off the recoil and bang. After hours of training using ONE TWO, reflexes start taking over and you start shooting good.